Reminder, There is still time to apply for ABSO’s Intro to Change Management Course!

Change is constant — the real question is: Are you prepared to lead it?

This summer, we’re thrilled to launch Intro to Change Management, a highly interactive, hands-on course designed to empower you with the tools and mindset to navigate change with confidence, clarity, and purpose. This is the first course in the exploratory track of the Pathway to Employee Excellence Program and will be open to staff and managers.

Course Highlights

Dates: June 23 and 30, July 9, 16, and 23
Time: Five 1.5-hour sessions
Delivery: All in-person

Format:

  • Engaging group discussions
  • Thought-provoking interactive exercises
  • Built-in Q&A sessions to keep the dialogue flowing
  • Practical, hands-on mini-project work

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:

  • Understand the fundamentals of change management
  • Use the ADKAR model (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement)
  • Apply concepts through interactive exercises and a mini-project
  • Gain confidence and clarity to apply change management strategies in your unit or team
  • Define what success looks like for your leadership journey

You’ll leave with not just knowledge — but readiness to lead change.

Who Should Attend

Whether you’re a team lead, project manager, or someone passionate about professional growth, this course will help you turn uncertainty into opportunity. This course is open to staff and managers interested in change management or leadership development.

Lead change. Don’t just manage it.
Let’s learn, collaborate, and grow together this summer. Don’t miss your chance to build leadership skills that make a real difference.

Spots Are Limited – There is Still Time to Register!

Register for the course by next Friday, May 23, 2025. Don’t miss your chance to build leadership skills that make a real difference. Any questions, please contact abso@sjsu.edu.

New ABSO Training Course: Intro to Change Management – Get Ready to Lead with Confidence!

Change is constant — the real question is: Are you prepared to lead it?

This summer, we’re thrilled to launch Intro to Change Management, a highly interactive, hands-on course designed to empower you with the tools and mindset to navigate change with confidence, clarity, and purpose. This is the first course in the exploratory track of the Pathway to Employee Excellence Program and will be open to staff and managers.

Course Highlights

Dates: June 23 and 30, July 9, 16, and 23
Time: Five 1.5-hour sessions
Delivery: All in-person

Format:

  • Engaging group discussions
  • Thought-provoking interactive exercises
  • Built-in Q&A sessions to keep the dialogue flowing
  • Practical, hands-on mini-project work

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:

  • Understand the fundamentals of change management
  • Use the ADKAR model (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement)
  • Apply concepts through interactive exercises and a mini-project
  • Gain confidence and clarity to apply change management strategies in your unit or team
  • Define what success looks like for your leadership journey

You’ll leave with not just knowledge — but readiness to lead change.

Who Should Attend

Whether you’re a team lead, project manager, or someone passionate about professional growth, this course will help you turn uncertainty into opportunity. This course is open to staff and managers interested in change management or leadership development.

Lead change. Don’t just manage it.
Let’s learn, collaborate, and grow together this summer. Don’t miss your chance to build leadership skills that make a real difference.

Spots Are Limited – Be the First to Register!

Register for the course by May 23, 2025. Don’t miss your chance to build leadership skills that make a real difference. Any questions, please contact abso@sjsu.edu.

Acad Scheduling & Space Mgt (AS&SM): Spring 2025 Final Exams & Events in Lecture Rooms Submission Timelines

University Lecture Rooms (ULRs) follow a scheduling priority that ensures classes always have priority over events in all classrooms. This priority is also applied when assigning classrooms for in-person Culminating Activities and Final Examinations.

The Spring 2025 Culminating Activities and Final Exams Week will take place from May 14-16 and 19-20, 2025. ULR requests for final exams (including hybrid classes) must be submitted by Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Requests received after this deadline may result in limited room availability. Review the Spring 2025 Final Exam Reminders for additional information.

To schedule events in University Lecture Rooms, departments must follow the submission timelines. All ULR Requests for events scheduled between May 14-20, 2025 will be processed after Tuesday, April 25, 2025.

Acad Scheduling & Space Mgt (AS&SM): Fall 2025 – Lecture Room Assignment Results & Audit Results

AS&SM completed the Fall 2025 Post-Round 1.5 Audits / Clean Up and University Lecture Room Assignment Process (Optimizing). In the assignment process, AS&SM assigned 1,400 sections to lecture rooms. There were 11 sections that were not assigned rooms. A designated college representative will be in touch about next steps for these classes. Department staff and chairs should: 

During Round 2, Department schedulers are expected to submit all maintenance requests to add, change, or cancel sections via an OnBase Form. Round 2 will be open from April 1-4, 2025. By 5:00 pm on April 4, all OnBase Forms need to, at minimum, be at the college approver step to be implemented before publication on April 15. All other OnBase Forms will be processed as time permits.

In the University Lecture Room Assignment Process (Optimizing) page, please also thoroughly review the information including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). As needed in the coming weeks, the FAQs may be updated based on new types of questions received by AS&SM.

Some reminders on how to address questions or concerns:

    • Instructors that have any accommodation needs must submit a registration form to the Employment Accommodations Resource Center (EARC). The EARC will work directly with AS&SM to assign classes to rooms. 
    • Instructors and department staff should share feedback about room assignments with their department chairs. 
    • Department chairs should discuss feedback with their Academic Associate Deans.

In the last year and half, we engaged with the Academic Strategic Space, Scheduling, & Enrollment Team (ASSSET) as well as college and department leaders and staff to discuss best practices to implement the new lecture room assignment process. 

Thank you for your support and engagement in this big change for our division.

Celebrating Staff Achievement: Honoring our first cohort of the ABSO Certificate Program

Three people stand together. The woman in the center holds flowers and a certificate. A blue and yellow decorated backdrop is behind them.

Celebrating Staff Achievement: Honoring our first cohort of the ABSO Certificate Program

On March 19, 2025, in a heartfelt ceremony, we proudly recognized five exceptional staff members who completed the foundational track of the ABSO Certificate Program, Pathway to Employee Excellence. Launched in Fall 2023, this professional development initiative aims to refresh, strengthen, and teach new skills to staff employees within Academic Affairs.

Since its inception, the program has offered three comprehensive courses focusing on basic personnel management, basic budget and financial management, and event planning. With approximately 100 Academic Affairs staff participating in at least one course, these five individuals demonstrated remarkable persistence by completing all three courses, which included assignments and quizzes.

Congratulations to:

  • Nima Abrishamkar, Senior Analyst, Programs and Operations, Applied Data Science
  • Sarah Kam, Senior College Resource Analyst, COSS Dean’s Office
  • Kristina Luna, Administrative Services Specialist, School of Information
  • Lydie Rashel, Administrative Analyst, Mechanical Engineering
  • Mahasti Tayebi, Administrative Support Coordinator, Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

During the ceremony, Provost Vincent Del Casino and AVP Sami Monsur presented certificates of completion, joined by colleagues, directors, and deans who came to celebrate and support their staff’s professional growth. The honorees can proudly showcase their ABSO training badge in their professional portfolios, highlighting their achievements and skills.

Honoree Highlights:

“I love communicating and being in touch with students…I love the training.” — Nima Abrishamkar
“I’m grateful for this training… it gave me exposure to how the university works.” — Sarah Kam
“I love my job. I grow and learn every day… this training was wonderful.” — Mahasti Tayebi
“The better I am, the better our faculty and students can focus on their work.” — Lydie Rashel
“I’ve learned in each module… it’s necessary to stay fresh.” — Kristina Luna

Leadership Reflections:

AVP Monsur encouraged participants to see this as a stepping stone: “These trainings show that the campus is open to you — even beyond our division — as growth opportunities arise.” The program seeks to empower employees through knowledge. 

Provost Del Casino applauded the dedication shown: “This is above and beyond your day-to-day work. It’s inspiring to see people invest in each other and build community. Congratulations to everyone!”

What’s Next?

We’re excited to announce new courses in the exploratory track this summer: Fundamentals of Enrollment Management and Intro to Change Management (ADKAR Method). We’re also offering Introduction to Courses & Class Scheduling as part of the foundational track. Stay tuned for more details!

Again, congratulations to our first cohort for their dedication and achievement. We look forward to seeing more staff continue to grow and thrive through this impactful program.